It
has been a weeks of surprises in sport, some weirdness, some upsets:
USA: Baseball:
The St. Louis Cardinals were losing 5 to 4 to their cross state rivals,
the Kansas City Royals, when a cat invaded the field and stopped play. The cat did not look feral, but certainly did
not like the attention it was receiving. Originally approaching a Royals outfielder,
the cat realized his mistake, clearly a feline of good taste, and continue to
flee toward the outfield wall. A Cardinals groundskeeper risked life and
limb, in short sleeves and short pants, to track down the feline, so that play
could continue. The cat did not go down
easily, biting and scratching across the entire outfield, and infield for that
matter. The unfortunate and importunate groundskeeper
dropped the cat outside of the ball field, as he headed for first aid. A woman
insisted on taking the cat, but then stated she had lost it in the park across
from the stadium. The search continues.
The
cat was renamed #RallyCat. Baseball fans
will remember #Buschie the #RallySquirrel from a few years ago, whose
appearance during a game launched the suffering Cardinals into glory. #RallyCat did not disappoint as it was his
turn at bat. After the distraction,
Cardinal's veteran player Yadier Molina was at bat, and batted a GRAND SLAM
HOME RUN, garnering four runs for the Cardinals, who held out to win the
game. The Cardinals have renamed him
Yadier Meowlina, and he has since professed a great love for cats. The next day the Cardinals hit a grand slam,
the first time in their history this has happedn two games in a row. Pictures of Yadier with his kittens are now
all over the internet. In more weird
news, Cardinal's pitcher, Lance Lynn, was hit in the side of the head by a 110
mph ball, but continued the game unscathed.
The
Cardinals have reignited the National League Central Division race these days
with a six game win streak. This should
make their weekend games at the Atlanta Braves doubly interesting. Division
Leaders Chicago Cubs have entered their characteristic August slump.
In
the USA: Today features PGA Golf Third-round
play in the 99th PGA Championship, from Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North
Carolina. This is golf's final major of the season, with Sergio Garcia, Brooks
Koepka and Jordan Spieth winning the first three. The purse for this tournament
is $10.5 million
In
London, United Kingdom, the Track and Field Worlds continue. As covered elsewhere in this space, 21 year
old Norwegian Hurdler Karsten Warholm apparently surprised himself most of all,
when he took the Gold medal in the 400 m hurdles. Please read Rexswimguy's excellent coverage,
but look around the net for pictures of the amazed athlete like the one
featured here. They're better than a baseball player covered with
kittens.
Saturdays
action at the Track and Field Worlds includes various events in the Decathlon,
including the 110 m hurdles, the discuss, javelin, and pole vault. The Decathlon will come to a stirring
conclusion in this evening's 1500 meters race.
Today also features finals in men's 5000 meters, javelin, and 4x100 m relay.
In
Sri Lanka, India continues their tour with their 3rd Test at Pallekele
International Cricket Stadium, also known as Muttiah Muralitharan International
Cricket Stadium (Sinhala: පල්ලෙකැලේ ජාත්යන්තර
ක්රිකට්
ක්රීඩාංගණය,
Tamil: பல்லேகலை
சர்வதேச
கிரிக்கெட் விளையாட்டு
மைதானம்)
in Kandy. This test begins today and
lasts through
the 16th. Pallekele is an ultra modern facility, which
opened a few years ago and seats 22,000.
India has been dominating the series so far, and with Sri Lanka missing
some key players due to injuries, the hosts will have to rely on surprise to
hold out for a win. No national team
from India has ever swept a series of three tests or less on foreign soil, but
under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, this team may pull out that honor.
In
Aussie Rules football: The 2017 season
has been one of the most exciting and intriguing in recent memory, as many
matches have been close, and could have gone either way. On a weekly basis at least one fan base has
been left wondering how different things could have been if that crucial set
shot or turnover went in their team’s favor.
In a season as close as 2017 - it is the close margins in games which
may well decide who finishes in the top eight.
This is especially challenging in that as of the end of Round 20 there
have been 37 games decided by 10 points or less. Every team apart from Adelaide have been
involved in a game which has been decided by 10 points or less thus far. Today will see contests between the Sydney
Swans vs. Fremantle at the Sydney Cricket Grounds, the Geelong Cats vs.
Richmond, the Brisbane Lions vs. the Gold Coast Suns, Essendon vs. the Adelaide
Crows, and the West Coast Eagles vs. Carlton.
The Fremantle Dockers make a rare trip to Sydney for a clash with the
Swans at the Sydney Cricket Grounds, and it looms as a tough assignment for
Ross Lyon's team who showed some good signs in their win over the Suns last
week, just their second from their past 10 games. Sydney, currently 6th in the
standings, bounced back from a loss to
Hawthorn to smash Geelong and reaffirm its status as a premiership contender. The
Swans' miserly defense is settled and in form, so it's hard to see Fremantle
kicking a big enough score to cause the home side any trouble. In their last five meetings, the Swans have
beat the Dockers, three games to two.
Meanwhile,
back in Europe, English Premiership Soccer is ramping up again, as are many of
the other Ligues, Ligas, Serie, etc.
Seems like last season was just wrapping up. More tomorrow.
